Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 10

10.

True to his warning that he wouldn’t go easy on me, Ifrit’s lessons, which started the next day, were quite challenging from the beginning. It was a lesson in name only; in reality, it was a constant barrage of insults and nagging, and even the slightest mistake brought down a thunderous roar.

“That’s not it!”

“Th-Then, like this?”

“No, no, that’s not it!”

Every time Ifrit got angry, his red hair spewed out hot embers like lava. I was worried that all the water in this place would start to boil.

“Is your head made of stone? How can you not follow after I’ve shown you twice? You don’t have to be as good as the previous Elquines, but you should at least imitate his footsteps! Are you really the proper successor to his abilities? How can the Water Spirit King, who boasts the best defense and attack power among the Four Great Spirit Kings, be so pathetic? Explain it to me!”

“……Tch, if I knew that, I would have figured it out a long time ago.”

“What?”

“No, it’s nothing. Haha…….”

As a teacher, Ifrit wasn’t exactly ideal.

He didn’t gauge the student’s level at all, judged and taught only from his own perspective, and often compared me to others, which dampened my desire to learn.

What am I supposed to do when he suddenly creates a high-level Fire Spirit out of nowhere in a spirit-creation class? He showed me again when I didn’t understand, but all I saw was a spirit suddenly appearing out of thin air.

At the very least, he should tell me about the types of low-level spirits or how to handle their energy! To put it in perspective, it’s like teaching a child who can’t even read Korean how to write a thesis. When I protested that he was demanding too much from a beginner, he replied:

“I knew how to do it as soon as I was born?”

‘……Ah, is that so,’ I thought, defeated.

What was I expecting? Ifrit glared at me with a frown as I slumped my shoulders in dismay.

“It’s weird that you can’t do it. Since you were human, should I speak in a human way? Does a newborn human baby need to be told how to eat?”

“……No.”

“That’s right. When food enters their mouth, they instinctively know how to eat. It’s the same thing. So why can’t you do it? I even showed you directly in front of your eyes. Ugh, I’m so frustrated! Where did it all go wrong?”

I listened to Ifrit’s grumbling with one ear and let it out the other. No matter how frustrated he was, surely it couldn’t be more than I was, the person involved.

If I had known it would turn out like this, I would never have run away from the Underworld that day. Even if it made my mouth twist from bitterness, I should have finished drinking that solution.

I never thought the day would come when I would regret not drinking that terrible drink that makes me shudder even when I think about it now. I guess that’s why they say you can never know what will happen in life.

“Why are you standing there like an idiot? Hurry up and do it right again. The previous Elquines was the strongest and most outstanding Spirit King of all time. There’s no way you, who inherited his power right after him, can be a moron.”

……He always has to say it like that.

I don’t know how many times I’ve heard him mention the previous Elquines. Even good words get tiring when you hear them often, and this isn’t even a good story. Thanks to him, I’m building up unnecessary animosity towards the previous Elquines, whom I’ve never even met.

‘But it’s really strange. Didn’t Ifrit say he didn’t have a good relationship with the previous Elquines? But why does he keep comparing me to him?’

Could it be that he secretly liked him while pretending to hate him? Given Ifrit’s personality, it seems possible. But I immediately shook my head. If that were the case, Trowel and Minerva, who have known him longer than I have, wouldn’t have described their relationship as simply bad.

Especially Trowel, there’s something a little strange about him…… It’s just a guess, but it’s like he can read people’s minds? I still can’t forget the way he looked at me meaningfully when we were talking about the process of forgetting. It was clearly a look that guessed my story. Even if my guess is wrong, if he has such extraordinary perception, it wouldn’t be easy for Ifrit to deceive him.

‘Hmm, then what is it? Why does he keep talking about him even though he doesn’t like him? A hated but respected rival whose abilities he acknowledges! ……Was it something like that? And he’s annoyed that someone as clueless as me came as his successor?’

Hoo, this is plausible. Maybe I’m better at deduction than I thought?

I smiled inwardly, praising myself. Then, Ifrit’s thunderous roar fell again.

“I’m teaching you hard, but what are you smiling about like an idiot? Are you really going to do it like that?”

“Ugh, sorry.”

“Just quit if you don’t want to do it. Who would say anything if the already ruined Arkadon [the Spirit World] is delayed by a few hundred years? A few hundred thousand more humans will just die.”

“Gasp! No, no! I’ll work hard! I really will!”

He’s not only bad-tempered but also a master at threatening others. But no matter what, you can’t suddenly know what you didn’t know. I reluctantly asked Ifrit again.

“Hey, Ifrit. Can you show me how to make a spirit again?”

“What, again?”

“I don’t understand it no matter how many times I look at it. I’ll focus more this time.”

“……Hmph, fine. I can’t help it. But keep this in mind. It’s not good for Arkadon if Fire Spirits keep increasing here. Because of you, three more high-level Fire Spirits, Ignis [Latin for ‘fire’], have already been created. So you’ll have to create that many more Ciel.”

“Ciel?”

“I mean high-level Water Spirits. Don’t you even know the names of the spirits under your command?”

I would have known if you had told me. I quietly grumbled inwardly, avoiding Ifrit’s disapproving gaze again. It was obvious that if I argued here, I would only hear scolding about how this was also instinct.

“Watch carefully.”

Ifrit clenched his fist slightly and held it out with the back of his hand facing up. Then, blue flames rose from his shoulder and wrapped around his arm like a snake, gathering on the back of his hand. The gathered mass of fire soon swelled to an enormous size and immediately transformed into a bright red eagle with red flames filling its two wings.

Peee―!

―My King, my Lord, I greet my beautiful and great Ifrit.

It was the third time, but the sight of a high-level Fire Spirit, Ignis, being born was still amazing.

Ifrit looked down at me with a haughty face, with Ignis perched on his wrist.

“Do you understand now?”

……No, I don’t understand at all.

This time, I expected Ifrit to pour out his anger. He had shown me the same action three times with his own kindness, but it was natural for him to be angry since I still didn’t understand. But when I looked at him, full of tension, he was smiling brightly. It was such a bewitching smile that it made the viewer’s mind dizzy.

“Hehe, yeah. You still don’t understand…….”

“S-Sorry.”

“No, well, it can happen.”

“I-Ifrit?”

‘Why is this guy agreeing for once? He should be angry here!’

I raised my head with a puzzled feeling and immediately avoided his gaze when I met Ifrit’s eyes. It was because his appearance suddenly caught my eye.

I felt it from the first time I saw him, but Ifrit is really pretty. He’s not just pretty, but his eyes, attitude, and every gesture have a mysterious aura that draws attention. I used to be enthusiastic about female celebrities with my friends, competing with each other, but even if I combined all the famous beauties I saw back then, they wouldn’t be as flashy and beautiful as the one in front of me now.

But I’m getting private lessons from such a pretty girl. When I think about it, I’m incredibly lucky, aren’t I?

I decided to enjoy the current situation a little more. Anyway, I was once a healthy South Korean man. There’s no way I wouldn’t like being with a pretty girl. From now on, I felt like I could accept any nagging from Ifrit with a happy heart. ……If I hadn’t found his hand.

“……Hey, Ifrit?”

“Huh? Why?”

“What’s…… that in your hand?”

“Ah, this?”

Ifrit smiled brightly and raised his hand. His hand was engulfed in blue flames, burning fiercely. Originally, I would have been busy marveling at the skin that was surrounded by flames but not harmed at all. But at this moment, I chose to take a step back with a flinch. For some reason, I felt a chill down my spine.

And my ominous premonition was right on the mark.

“What else would it be but fire, you idiot! Is that head of yours just for decoration? I’m going to scorch you and evaporate you all at once! You just die here! You might as well die and contribute to the birth of a new Elquines! It would be a hundred times faster than teaching you!”

“Ugh! W-Wait a minute, Ifrit! Relax, relax!”

“What do you mean wait a minute! If you have anything to say, just say it now! I’ll listen to your last words as a final courtesy!”

What kind of consideration is that!

After that, I had to run away like crazy to avoid Ifrit’s attacks for a long time. Hot flames soared like volcanoes wherever his hand touched.

That’s how the eventful first lesson came to an end.

* * *

“So, in the end, there was no progress all day?”

In response to Trowel’s question, I shrugged instead of answering. He had been out in the human world all day and had only returned around evening after finishing his work.

Every time his gaze passed by, my whole body seemed to shrink involuntarily. I felt like I was having my homework checked by a strict teacher. Ifrit also seemed nervous and spoke more cautiously than when he was dealing with me.

“I did my best. It’s not my fault. This guy is too stupid to follow.”

“……You did your best?”

“That’s right. Do you know how hard I worked to explain it in a way he could understand?”

“Hmm, is that so.”

Trowel murmured as if passing by and looked towards the furniture. The surface of the furniture was full of dents and blackened marks. As if he knew what had happened just by looking at it, he lightly glared at Ifrit. Ifrit, startled by his gaze, hurriedly opened his mouth.

“W-We just had a little fight.”

“A fight? That’s a word that applies on the premise that the other person also responded to the quarrel. This is clearly a trace of a one-sided attack.”

“…….”

Ifrit closed his mouth like a mute, as if he couldn’t find anything to say in his defense. At the sight of him, Trowel sighed lightly.

“I told you to refrain from rough actions, Ifrit. Jihoon doesn’t even know how to defend himself yet. I think I warned you in advance that it’s dangerous to treat him the way you treated the previous Elquines?”

“I know. So I reduced my power a lot more than usual.”

“That’s not the answer I want to hear.”

“But, no matter how I think about it, it’s funny. He and I are both Spirit Kings, so why do I have to be considerate of him? Even if it’s a sequelae [a condition that is the consequence of a previous disease or injury] of his previous life, to be so weak that he can’t even defend against this level of attack! Such a pathetic…….”

“Ifrit.”

Ifrit stopped talking immediately after hearing Trowel’s low voice. Seeing his stern expression, Ifrit bit his lip slightly and then retorted sullenly.

“……Tch! I got it. I won’t do it anymore. I won’t hit him no matter what happens in the future. Okay?”

“Good.”

The sight of Trowel smiling brightly at this moment seemed to shine like a brilliant halo. He skillfully handles the wild and violent Ifrit like a child! He’s really amazing. How can he do that? Suddenly, respect for him grew. Of course, unlike me, who was moved, Ifrit’s expression was full of dissatisfaction.

“When I see you like this, Trowel, you’re like an old man. Do you have to act like an elder so much?”

“Hehe, that means I’m mature, right? I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“Hmph! If only you couldn’t talk.”

Hul, Trowel is older than Ifrit?

That was an unexpected story. Anyway, Trowel looked younger than me on the outside.

“More than that, what are you going to do now? I can’t do it anymore. You and Minerva take care of it, whether you’re busy or not.”

“What, giving up after just one day?”

“It’s only fun to keep going if there’s some effect from teaching. This guy is hopeless. No matter how many times I show him the scene of creating a spirit, it’s useless. At this rate, the number of Ignis will increase infinitely.”

“Hmm, that’s troublesome. I see. It’s a pity that it’s not effective. I thought he would be stimulated to some extent if he saw the direct creation process.”

I watched the two Spirit Kings talking with anxiety. Although there was no way that would happen, I was worried that even Trowel would decide to kill me and give the extreme prescription to give birth to another Elquines.

“Jihoon, I’m sorry…….”

“Ugh! I was wrong! I’ll really try hard! So don’t kill me!”

“…….”

I, who was already a coward, was horrified and shouted when Trowel offered an apology. Trowel, who had been silent for a while, glared at Ifrit with a clear light of reproach this time. He looked away with a startled expression.